A P R I L 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 1
Share your great idea for saving time or money
at ideas@outpatientsurgery.net.
• (Lunch) time is money. Always keep a few gift cards to
local restaurants on hand. Among their many uses in a
surgical facility, they can help to economize on
staffing costs. Next time there's a multi-hour
break in the schedule between surgeries,
give one to a nurse and tech and ask
them to clock out for lunch. While
they're enjoying a surprise meal
on the house, you're not paying
their hourly wages while the OR stands empty.
• Covering call-offs. You can't avoid the
occasional staff call-off, but you can pre-
vent the expensive, time-consuming,
schedule-shredding chaos that scrambling
to cover an absence can cause. Let your
staff know that if they can manage to get
their own shifts covered, you'll consider it a
trade instead of a call-off. This will keep
the scheduling shuffle off your plate, and
staff appreciate that it's not charged
against their attendance.
